As known in the art, some modems can operate simultaneously with POTS traffic on the same wire pair communication channel, e.g., Radish Alternating Voice Data modem, ADSL (POTS Splitter) or V.61 (Simultaneous Voice and Data over POTS).
However, modems that currently operate simultaneously with POTS traffic either combine a digital data signal and the analog POTS signal into one complex analog signal that is then transmitted over the line (as in V.61) or separate the data and POTS in frequency (as in ADSL). So that while these modems simultaneously transmit both data and POTS traffic, they do so in a single signal. While there is a need for modems that transmit data signals in parallel with analog POTS signals, there is also a need to indicate to a user of the analog POTS signal generating equipment that transmission of a POTS signal is affecting transmission of a data communication signal operating in parallel.
Heretofore, modems have lacked the ability to indicate the impact of attempted or occurring parallel POTS and Data traffic. Accordingly, there is a need to develop a modem having the ability to identify whether parallel operation of POTS and data communications device may be limiting the achievable data rate of the modem, and then notify the user that parallel operation is occurring. With such a notification, a user or data communications device can decide to terminate the digital data communication, terminate the POTS traffic, or tolerate the degraded operation of digital data communication traffic.